Leaked photos offer first view of WhatsApp UWP for Windows 10 and 11

3 min. read

Updated on October 4, 2023

updated on October 4, 2023

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You haven’t heard a lot about this application lately, so here’s something that will definitely spark your interest.

No, WhatsApp hasn’t given up at all on Microsoft’s app store, and Meta, previously known as Facebook, is working on a new project for Windows 11 and Windows 10 behind closed doors.

Apparently, the company is working on a new UWP or modern native app for Windows 11 and Windows 10, social media platforms are now full of screenshots.

WhatsApp UWP coming wo Windows 10 and Windows 11

WhatsApp was one of the few apps that was frequently updated on Windows 10 Mobile even when Microsoft announced the end of support for the operating system.

Unfortunately, old WhatsApp was based on Silverlight, which means it wasn’t a Universal Windows Platform app (UWP,) and it couldn’t run across all the different Windows 10 platforms.

However, three years later, WhatsApp is actually working on a UWP app for the desktop operating system. Pretty neat, right?

For the time being, WhatsApp’s desktop app in the Microsoft Store is largely based on the web version of the app, and it uses the Electron framework.

The current app connects to WhatsApp and provides users access to the WhatsApp web interface, and users need to authenticate the connection by scanning a QR code.

The UWP-based WhatsApp would technically mean that Windows desktop users will be provided with access to WhatsApp chats without connecting to the web version.

Also, this is a full-fledged UWP client, written from scratch and it’s not based on web components. In other words, this new WhatsApp desktop client won’t be a web wrapper.

As we previously mentioned, the WhatsApp desktop app offers a choppy experience and it is slower than the native app available on Android or IOS.

This new WhatsApp client is based on UWP and Meta/Facebook is apparently using the XAML UI language to match the look and feel of Windows 11 or 10 apps.

It is also going to be faster and it would show chats in the chat list, similar to the WhatsApp web.

People using the WhatsApp desktop app have been limited to text-based messages and voice calls with some limitations.

However, the UWP client is expected to introduce better support for both voice and video calls that can be placed using a microphone.

It also seems that WhatsApp is working closely with Microsoft to enable Windows Ink integration.

The highly popular communications app is going to include a new drawing feature, which is set to help users annotate images and then upload them directly to the chat.

WhatsApp UWP will support backup, native notifications, options to customize chat, and more, and you will be able to find it on the Store.

Happy that developers are now making it easier to use WhatsApp on your PC? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

More about the topics: WhatsApp Web issues, windows 10 apps, Windows 11

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.